


Fortunately It's Temporary

by slowdissolve



Series: KyaLin Sketches and Adventures [14]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Bullying, Gen, Homophobia, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:53:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27685196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slowdissolve/pseuds/slowdissolve
Summary: The Avatar's family make their annual trip to the South Pole for the Glacier Spirits Festival. Kya is thirteen, a most miserable age.
Series: KyaLin Sketches and Adventures [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/754959
Comments: 6
Kudos: 51





	Fortunately It's Temporary

Every year, near the winter solstice, Katara and Aang took their children to visit their grandfather Hakoda and his wife Malina and celebrate the Glacier Spirits Festival.

This year, everything was off. Kya shifted uncomfortably in Appa’s saddle. Thirteen and self-conscious, she was in the middle of her moon time, and Bumi and Tenzin seemed particularly obnoxious.

Her mother was helpful, applying a healing touch to help with cramps whenever they stopped to let Appa rest, but there was no getting around the basic unpleasantness of it all. To have it happen during this trip was just the complete unfairness of the universe.

At least she had the long parka.

She had friends in the Southern Water tribe, and they were a comfort. It was going to be great to see them again. Simak and Olowun, Mina and Bikku, Barratuk, Bartok and Kobar (the triplets), Jima, and Kanna. Kanna and she were best friends whenever they visited, because she was named after Kya’s great-grandmother, who had been her own great-grandmother’s friend in the Northern Tribe, but whose grandparents had moved south after the Hundred Years’ War.

These nine friends joined up with her and each other at the spirit festival and got into and out of trouble in any way they could, as far back as she could remember. Last year she took them on an unauthorized ride on Appa, and it was one of those rare times when even her father Aang was angry at her. It was only pure luck that he’d been there to airbend the triplets to safety when Simak, trying to be funny and roughhousing, pushed Bartok too far over the side and his brothers dove after him.

Maybe things had been changing for a long time… Simak had always been a kind of self-appointed leader of their troupe, and he had great ideas for a fun time. Still, his idea of fun wasn’t always fun for everyone. He liked to tease and prank. Mostly it was harmless, but in the past couple of years, it was just… more. 

All of them were more something. More affectionate, sometimes, which was great, more intelligent, more brave; but also more shy, or whiny, or… she hated to think it… mean. Simak and Bikku would call it more honest, but there was a lack of compassion to it that she knew would raise an objection with her parents, had they heard.

And yet, she was one of them. It was so refreshing not to be “the Avatar’s daughter” for once, but included for being herself. She did her best to patch up the wounds that her friends gave each other, physically and verbally, and they often called her “the nice one”.

They arrived in the middle of the very short day, and spent this time with Hakoda and Malina, laughing and catching up, showing off where they could. Bumi loved his grandfather, who was an influential and well-respected leader in spite of being a non-bender. Tenzin clung to Aang’s side, but Hakoda still made him smile with bad jokes, just like Uncle Sokka. Kya demonstrated her waterbending for him, and blushed at his effusive praise for having come so far in mastering the Southern style.

The sun was about to set when they went out to the festival, and she ate the traditional food with gusto. The boys and Aang avoided the stewed sea prunes, but for some reason she just couldn’t get enough of them, and she and her mother smacked their lips and groaned with delight, simply to get a rise out of her brothers. Katara winked and offered them some, and they laughed hard when Tenzin shied away, as though they were poisonous.

She kept her eye out for her friends there, scanning the crowds at the food stands and the games. Tenzin and Bumi warmed to those, and headed off shortly after eating. Kya followed, wondering where those nine were hiding. She began to wonder if this year maybe they wouldn’t all be there. That wouldn’t be the same at all, and it would be icing on the cake to a year that had just been less than great.

She kept near her parents, who watched street performers make fantastic, impossible sculptures from snow. Some younger children were climbing on these, sliding down and screaming as they twisted through elaborate tunnels that all seemed to end in the mouth of a giant polar bear dog, bristling with teeth made of ice.

She really wanted to join in, but these children were younger than her, and it felt like maybe this wasn’t supposed to be for her anymore. So also with the storytellers in the animal costumes… she knew all the words to the stories, and when she was supposed to join in with the lines. But it felt… empty. 

“What’s wrong, flutterbug?” Aang asked her.

“Things seem different this year,” she shrugged.

“Different how?”

“Like…” she paused. What words could she use? “Like there’s less.”

“They have the same food and stuff to do as before,” he pointed out.

“It’s just… they feel like… it’s not.”

Her father’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he stroked the beard under his chin. “Like you’re a little too old for some of it, but not old enough for the rest?”

“Kinda,” she shrugged again.

“I promise it will get better. Have you seen any of your friends?”

“Not yet.”

“My friends have always been able to make me feel better. Once you find them, you’ll feel like yourself again.”

She didn’t answer. Maybe he was right.

Kya and her parents headed toward the dancers, and at last she caught sight of Kanna, and felt a wave of relief. She dashed toward her, but Kanna didn’t seem to be aware of anything around her. She was talking to someone whose parka hood was up. As Kya approached, she noticed that Kanna didn’t look particularly happy, and she slowed. Maybe she should find out what was wrong.

“Look, he was just joking, all right? You don’t have to take it so seriously. You know how he is. Just lighten up and come back, okay?”

“Kanna?” Kya asked, as she drew close.

Kanna turned, and her face brightened. “Kya!” She pushed past the boy with the hood and embraced her warmly. “Oh, I missed you!”

The boy turned too, when he heard her name. “Hey, Kya.” It was Olowun.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Olowun said.

“SImak’s being a jerk,” Kanna answered. “As usual.”

Kya frowned. This wasn’t a good way to start, having to repair a friendship.

“He was just kidding, okay? I don’t get why you’re so upset about it!”

“You don’t say those kinds of things to a friend, Olowun. I don’t care if it was a joke, it hurt my feelings and he won’t say he’s sorry.”

Olowun threw his hands up. “Maybe he’s right, then,” he said, huffily, and stomped off.

“What?” Kya asked. “What’s happening?” 

“We were just hanging out, playing some of the games, and Simak started making fun of me.”

“He makes fun of everyone.”

“This was worse.”

“How?”

Kanna turned away. “It’s nothing.”

“Obviously it’s not nothing,” Kya responded, still confused.

“He just said something mean about me, all right?”

Kya wondered what he could have said to make her friend this upset. She’d always remembered Kanna as someone strong-willed and always willing to stand up for somebody else.

“Well, whatever it was, it can’t be right, because you’re one of the best people I know,” Kya said, hoping this would lift her spirits.

“It isn’t right,” Kanna said. She sighed heavily. “He  _ is _ wrong.”

“Let’s go back to the games, then,” Kya suggested. “I wanna see everyone.”

Kanna hesitated. “I mean, don’t be surprised if he’s mean to you too.”

“I just got here! Why would he?”

Kanna didn’t meet her eyes. “What he said was about you and me. But he’s wrong. He’s just being a jerk. It’s not that big a deal anyway.”

Kya frowned. This wasn’t like her.

“Do you want me to say something?”

“No! No! Just… let’s just go back.”

Kya shrugged, but tried her best to play along. “Okay then.”

Kanna led her through the crowd to one of the places where games were being played. She finally saw the triplets and Simak, all together, pulling on the rope in a game of tug-o-war. Olowun was standing sullenly next to Jima, and Bikku and Mina were cheering the boys on as they strove to pull the opposing team into the pool of water between them.

There was a tremendous splash, as the opposing team gave a sudden mighty heave and pulled the boys into the pool. They spluttered and shivered, and the crowd cheered and laughed together as they offered their hands to the young men in the icy water. The triplets smiled sheepishly but Simak’s face was dark with anger. He stepped out of the pool, bent the water out of his clothing, and flung the mass of water at the other team, who blocked it easily. There were a few boos at this display of poor sportsmanship, but Simak strode off away into the crowd.

Kya was shocked. The boys were bigger now, all of them, but this attitude of Simak’s was new. What was wrong? Aang had always said to find out what the root of the problem was: when people act out in anger, he told his children, usually they’re hurting underneath.

Bikku chased after him, and grabbed his parka, and pulled him to a stop as the rest of their group trotted after to catch up.

“Leave me alone,” he snarled, yanking his arm away.

“Let it go,” Olowun said to him. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Shut up, Olowun. You were too afraid to even join the game. Don’t tell me to let it go.”

Kanna said, bitterly, “It’s what you told _me_ to do.”

Simak turned to snap back, but noticed Kya standing next to her. His face slid into a sly smile. “Well what a surprise!” he said, and the rest of them laughed behind their hands.

He stepped up close to Kya, who towered over him by at least a palm’s breadth. “Wow, you got tall!” And then he laughed.

She was suddenly self-conscious, realizing that in fact she was taller than all of them, both the boys and the girls. Fighting the urge to stoop, she straightened her spine and flipped her hair back. “It’s true.”

Jima and Mina came up and gave Kya hugs. The boys shuffled their feet awkwardly, except for Simak, who stood with his arms crossed and smiling smugly.

“Looks like you feel better already,” Kya said.

“Kanna too,” Bikku added, giggling.

“Stop it,” Kanna said. 

Kya frowned again. “What’s going on? Why is Kanna mad at you all?”

“It’s nothing,” Olowun repeated. “She’s too sensitive.”

“So tell me the joke. I could use a good laugh too,” Kya replied.

The triplets looked at each other a moment, before snorting.

“Must be a really good one,” Kya said, her voice more certain than she felt.

“Oh, don’t get so worked up about it,” Simak said, finally. “You know we were joking.”

“Maybe you were,” Kanna replied, angrily, “but nobody else is letting it go. It’s just a mean joke, but you keep laughing at me.”

“What are you all talking about?” Kya demanded. “Mina. What is the joke?”

Mina was usually quiet, so when attention turned to her, she quailed. “Simak said she was…” her voice trailed off.

“Really excited to see you!” Bikku finished for her.

“Well I was really excited to see all of you, too!” Kya said. “Why should she be angry about that? It’s been a year, and I’m happy to be back.”

Bartok opened his mouth, but Jima pulled on him and he shut it again.

“You’re all afraid to tell me. So I must be the butt of the joke too.”

Kanna exploded. “It’s wrong! He’s wrong, and they’re all being so… ugh!” She pushed past Kya and ran off into a darker corner of the festival, up the hill near large rocks on the far side of the grounds.

Kya ran after her, and she could hear Simak and Bikku laugh.

She followed Kanna around the rocks. She was sitting on the ground, her face covered with her mittens, crying.

Kya sat beside her, to keep her warm and to wait until she was ready to talk. What on earth had Simak said that was so bad?

Kanna leaned into her side, and Kya put an arm around her.

Finally she sobbed, “Simak said I liked girls.”

An abrupt pit formed in her stomach. She hoped it didn’t mean what she suspected. “What’s wrong with that? I like everyone.”

“You know what they mean. Not that kind of like.”

Kya sighed. “Okay, but still. What’s wrong with that?”

Kanna turned disbelieving eyes to her. “It’s disgusting! He wanted me to be with Kobar, so that all of us would have dates tonight, but I didn’t want to, and he said ‘You must want to be Kya’s date instead.’ I told him no, but they all laughed at me.”

Kya’s heart fell. She’d sometimes thought about Kanna, and how it would be nice to have something more than a once-a-year friendship, but clearly that wasn’t going to happen. She was at least glad she hadn’t admitted any feelings to her.

“But you don’t have to be his date if you don’t want to. Nobody has to date anybody.”

“Simak and Bikku are boyfriend and girlfriend, and nobody wants to be left out.”

“Wait a minute, then. Who was going to be my date? Were they even going to ask me?”

“Olowun.”

“Did he... Did he ask? Did he volunteer? Did he even say he wanted to be my date? This is ridiculous!”

“It was like, you go with her, and you go with her, and Kanna can be with Kobar, and Olowun, you can be with Kya.”

She was appalled. “And they all just went along with it?”

“Nobody wants Simak mad at them. Either he’ll get in a fight with the guys, or he’s mean like this to us.”

The rest of the group arrived around the rocks, and they surrounded the two. The boys were sharing a flask of some drink.

“I was right!” Simak said incredulously. “Lookit how sweet!”

“Just leave her alone, Simak,” Kya said, her voice as stern as she could manage. She rose to her feet, and moved to face him. Her height made him take a step back.

“She told me what you said. This is really kind of stupid, you guys. Nobody asked me about dates, or who I wanted to ‘be’ with. I just wanted to be here with all of you. Why did you think this would be more fun?”

“Don’t you have a boyfriend in Republic City?” Bikku asked, her voice syrupy sweet.

“No,” Kya replied, cautiously.

“She’s got a girlfriend,” Bartok jibed. His brothers snickered.

“An earthbender,” Kobar added, and there was more laughter.

“No,” Kya said again, on her guard. “I’m only thirteen, and so are you. But even if I did... want... to date someone, that would be up to me, to decide who and when. It’s none of your business anyway.”

Simak would not relent. “So you’re saying you do like girls?” he asked, grinning.

“I’m saying whether I did or didn’t, it’s none of your business and there’s nothing wrong with it anyway.”

Mina and Jima looked at each other. “Ewwww,” they said simultaneously.

Olowun pulled Kanna to her feet. “Come on. Let’s just forget about it. You can be my date instead.”

Kobar objected. “What about me?”

Simak approached Kya again, and she felt herself begin to slide into a fighting stance. 

“Maybe you just need to find out what it’s like,” he said, and with a swift move grabbed her, bent her backward, and kissed her, forcing his tongue into her mouth.

Bikku shrieked. “What are you doing?!”

Kya struggled to push him away. Barratuk grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back. “Whoa, man!”

“I’m just showing her what it’s like to be with a guy!” Simak gasped, and then stumbled back, pointing and laughing harder. “Fish sauce!”

Everyone went silent except for Bikku, who dashed up to Simak and began beating on his chest with balled fists. “You creep!” she wailed. 

Kanna said, in a low voice, “Oh no.”

Bartok and Barratuk edged backward. Mina and Jima turned their faces in embarrassment.

Sitting on the snow, she’d bled through her skirt, and there was a red stain. Fish sauce, they called it. She was furious at his attempt to humiliate her.

Kya was in a full fighting pose now. She pulled snow from the area around her and it melted instantly, and she was ready with a water whip.

“I’m not fighting a girl,” Simak sneered.

The water hit him square in the face, and he tumbled over backward. There was a red mark where he’d been struck.

The rest of his face immediately flushed, and he rolled to his feet, drawing icicles from the water that surrounded him. He swiveled and flung them at Kya, who deftly swept them around herself and melted them into thin streams, sending them back at his feet and wrapping around them. She pulled and he toppled again.

Enraged, he kicked free of the streams, and leapt again to his feet. He raised his arms and a rumbling sound started. He was making an avalanche happen above them.

She shoved Kanna and Olowun out of the way. As the snow began to cascade down on her, loose crystals formed a cloud, obscuring her from the rest. 

Kya kept her head, and extended her arms as she moved in a circle, forming a space around her. The danger was suffocation under the snow, and she would be safe if she domed it over her.

She panted, hands on knees in the pocket of air, her breath ragged. The sound of falling snow thundering above continued for another minute. How much had come down? She hoped that the others had not been trapped under it. 

When it had been silent another minute, she carefully began melting the water above her, being sure to send it streaming down the sides of her space, digging upward, until she found the surface. 

The auroras had started. Bands of color filled the sky. Her eyes filled with tears.

There was the sound of distant voices, some calling for help.

In moments, there was a great movement, and around them were a dozen waterbenders, lifting all the snow as a mass and clearing it away. 

“Kya!” she heard a familiar voice. Strong arms picked her up and carried her away from where she’d been standing.

“Uncle Sokka!” she cried, and put her face into his chest as she sobbed.

* * *

“I was looking for my favorite niece and they told me you’d gone off with a bunch of kids up around the rocks.”

“I am your  _ only _ niece,” Kya replied dully, wrapped in furs by a fire. Sokka sat at the foot of the bed she was in, warming up from the bitterly cold night outside.

“While accurate, this fact is irrelevant in my assessment. You’re still my favorite,” he said. 

“I didn’t know you were coming this year.”

“Well, neither did I, but Katara asked, and I took the opportunity to visit Suki on Kyoshi Island before I got here, so that’s why I’m late.”

“You still see her?”

“We’re friends. I would have liked her to stay with me, but she just wasn’t happy in Republic City, so I had to let her go. It wasn't easy, but that's how it is.”

“Is being a grownup even more complicated than being a teenager?”

“Unfortunately yes. Fortunately, being a teenager is temporary. Adults have experience to help. Sometimes.”

Kya turned her face to the fire. The memory of Simak forcing himself on her made her shiver.

“He kissed me. I didn’t want him to.”

“I know. His girlfriend… I mean, ex-girlfriend, now… kept screaming at him all the way down to the peace officers’ building. I think your mom is having a few words with his parents now. Well… knowing Katara, probably a whole lotta words. Lots and lots of words.”

Sokka stood and walked to the fireplace, and stared into it a while.

“It’s...most people are broken, somehow,” he said. “Every time somebody hurts us, we break a little more. You…”

He put one hand up on the mantelpiece, leaning, and she could see his other hand flex open and close into a fist several times.

“You’ve been hurt, and there’s no way to undo it. You’ll probably feel broken for a while.”

She sniffed as tears started to flow. 

“Your brothers, they’re always going to be your real friends. You’ll need them. All your life. Don’t let anything break that.”

He came back and sat down closer to her. She rose up and they put their arms around each other. She wept, softly, and he held her protectively.

“What happened to my friends, Uncle Sokka? They changed. We used to have so much fun, and now everything’s ruined.”

“They’re growing up, just like you. You’ve changed too. You’re smarter, and kinder, and braver than ever, and I’m proud of you for standing up to him to protect someone else. You made a difference in her life, and all those other friends of yours saw it. They know how good you are inside. We can hope they learn from it.”

“I can’t… I don’t want to see them. They let it happen.”

“That’s fair,” he said, stroking her hair. “But still. They know. It’ll change how they grow up. Come back in a few years. You’ll see.”

He kissed the top of her head, and she lay back down, shrugging into the furs again. 

Uncle Sokka was always right.


End file.
